Financial harms of regular gaming: Cross-national evidence from the international gaming survey

Gaming disorder is recognised in ICD-11 as an addictive disorder associated with persistent gaming leading to functional impairment. While many video games include monetised features such as microtransactions and other in-game purchases, financial harms are rarely examined as a potential negative consequence. The present study examined associations between higher versus lower risk of gaming disorder and two financial outcomes: game-related overspending and financial harm.

Data were from the International Gaming Study 2024, a cross-sectional survey of 1,522 adult regular gamers from Australia (n = 303), China (n = 314), Indonesia (n = 300), Netherlands (n = 303) and the United States (n = 302). Gaming disorder was screened using the Gaming Disorder Identification Test (GADIT), with participants classified into higher-risk (≥5) versus lower-risk (<5) groups.

In adjusted logistic models, membership in the higher-risk group was strongly associated with overspending (OR = 5.36, 95% CI: 3.31-8.69) and financial harm (OR = 7.76, 95% CI: 4.88-12.35). More specifically, among participants in the higher-risk group 80.2% reported overspending and 77.8% reported financial harm compared to 42.6 and 30.6% in the lower-risk group. Odds of financial harms were higher in China and Indonesia than in Australia, while odds in the United States and Netherlands did not differ significantly from Australia.

Financial harms from gaming are common and most pronounced among individuals at higher risk of gaming disorder but are not limited to this group. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness of the risk for gaming-related financial harm, alongside strengthened consumer protection measures.